Katelyn Arnold: So, it’s now Dec. 8 and temperatures have been well above normal. How does the lack of snow affect the ski team’s training and competing?
Will Sargent: It’s definitely a downer that it’s been like, what, 60 degrees one day. We never really do any actual skiing in first semester. We save all that for next semester where it’s guaranteed snow. Our training is definitely set by that point. We don’t have anything going on now really. What we usually do is like a soccer practice just to get everyone to know each other.
KA: Have you ever experienced a warm start to the season like this before?
WS: I don’t think so. It’s never been this bad. The past four years I think there’s been snow already at this point. No skiing, really, but definitely not nearly this hot.
KA: What’s the ideal skiing weather?
WS: I’d say during a snowstorm most likely. Maybe like mid-20s or so. Not too cold, not too hot. We usually find when we do our ski trip in January that it’s just about that perfect temperature.
KA: When there is snow, where does the team train and compete?
WS: Next semester we train at Blue Mountain. We go there a couple times a week. For the race season itself we go all over the East Coast. We travel all the way up to upstate New York, to Blue Mountain for some races, to New Jersey, basically the Tri-State area.
KA: Do you have any personal goals for this winter?
WS: The male team for alpine the past four years has been on the cusp of going to Nationals, but every year has fallen just short, while the women’s team has always made it. I think the goal for this year is to try to get the men’s alpine team to Nationals. It would definitely be a good thing for my senior year at least.
KA: When did you start skiing?
WS: I started skiing when I was about ten. I was brought up to Vermont once by some family friends. I took skiing for fun and a couple years later I got involved in our home mountain’s race program and ever since then I’ve been racing in high school, with a Vermont team, and now in college.
KA: How did you get involved with skiing at Lafayette?
WS: When I was first applying to Lafayette, a friend of mine from the Vermont team who had graduated gave me the run down of the school, told me how awesome it was, showed me the team and said I should join. She was my main motivation for coming here and joining the team.
KA: What’s your favorite mountain you’ve ever skied?
WS: I would probably put Stowe up there. I’ve been skiing Stowe for a few years now and every time I go there, I have yet to have a bad day. It’s got steep terrains, snow terrain, and some nice really long trails you can just bomb straight down.
KA: Proudest skiing moment?
WS: At Lafayette, last year one of our really good racers was injured for the ski season and could barely compete. At the final race of the season, we were neck and neck with Lehigh and when they tallied up the points we had beat them by one, which put us in first place for our conference.
KA: Favorite sport other than skiing?
WS: I used to play pretty much all the sports. Baseball, lacrosse and soccer. Skiing is kind of the one that stuck through the years, so I’d probably just stick to skiing.
KA: Favorite holiday?
WS: New Years because for the past few years I’ve been in Vermont with my family and friends from my Vermont team. Although we’ve all gotten older we still try and hang out together to bring back the camaraderie.
KA: Last movie you watched?
WS: “From Paris with Love.”
KA: Favorite class at Lafayette?
WS: I’d say the Chinese course that I’m in right now. Chinese 311. This year was the first year they’ve offered a 300-level Chinese course so I’ve seen the way the Chinese program has grown over the four years I’ve been here and this year it’s been really incredible and I’m glad that I had a chance to experience it.
KA: Who would play you in a movie about your life?
WS: Probably Daniel Craig. That’s probably the closest I could see.
KA: One thing most people don’t know about you?
WS: I speak Chinese and lived in Hong Kong for four years of my life.
